When we jumped off the boat into the water for our second dive, my instructor began calling our group to gather around her to hold onto the rope again as we descended underwater. I was excited to scuba dive again, but I wasn’t feeling fully confident in myself and in my abilities. I was nervous about doing it on my own. Silently, I was praying that I could stay calm and focus on my breathing while mentally preparing myself for my ears to start hurting again with the pressure.
After debating with my pride, I finally swam over to my instructor and asked if she would hold my hand again. She replied, “Yes, of course.” And I was immediately relieved. I honestly did not want to ask her to hold my hand. I am 24 years old and thought “Surely, I can do this on my own.” But I was still fearful. I was fighting to prove to myself that I could do this independently – to prove I wasn’t a failure for needing assistance. And that’s when I was reminded of a quote by one of my favorite authors…
“If something that you try fails, that doesn’t make you a failure. That means you tried something new which makes you brave.” – Annie F. Downs
I wasn’t a failure. Nobody was labeling me a failure except myself. And instead of calling myself a failure, God wanted me to be proud for trying. He didn’t condemn me for not being perfect at scuba diving, but instead encouraged me to continue on because He was proud of me for trying.
And He wanted me to keep going, to trust Him and try again. He reminded me of His word to help me let go of my insecurities and to place my faith fully in Him. And that’s new for me. Not relying on my own strength, letting go of my comforts, seeking Him with no plan and no schedule of what’s to come. That’s what bravery is – trying something new. What new thing is God asking you to try?
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My instructor held my hand for about 15 minutes. I was still a little anxious and was no longer ashamed to know my limitations – to know that I needed her to get through this. I found it so interesting because I was ecstatic to be scuba diving, and then once we started descending, I began to feel fearful. I never expected to feel afraid at any point in scuba diving. I think what the Lord wanted me to learn is:
Sometimes we don’t know a fear exists, until we are in a place we’ve never been before and that fear is exposed.
Wow. Fears can exist within us that we may have no clue about because we’ve never been placed in a situation for those feelings to arise. Upon learning this, it made me crave to want to experience so many more things in life. I want to know my fears because I want to face them. I want to overcome them.
And I think this hunger to prevail over our fears is exactly what the enemy tries to keep us from doing. He whispers these fears into our minds that we believe and it stops us from countless things the Lord has for us. This is our fight. Fear – the lies of fear – that’s all fear is. Lies. So, how do we fight lies?
With truth – God’s truth. We take whatever lie of fear Satan has whispered to us, expose it to the light (don’t hide it away, share it with God) and declare God’s truth (His Word) in that area. When I thought my fear was too great for me to continue scuba diving, the Lord reminded me of 2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
and Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them (I replace them with whatever trials, enemies, worries, etc I am facing in my life), for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So what fears are holding you back in your life? I encourage you to spend time with God and allow Him to speak light into those areas. The lies of the enemy are meant to hold us in bondage, but God has equipped us with the weapons to destroy anything that comes against us. With God, anything is possible.
